Malaysia’s 97-year-old Mahathir to run in coming general election
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced Tuesday he will run in the election that will be held within the next few weeks.
The 97-year-old, who nearly died when he suffered a heart attack last December, told a press conference that he will defend his parliamentary seat for the northern constituency of Langkawi, a popular tourist island.
Mahathir said in a press conference after chairing a party meeting on preparations for the poll that he will defend his seat in Langkawi “but not as the candidate for future prime minister.”
“We didn’t decide who will be the prime minister. A prime minister candidate is only relevant if we win,” he said.
Current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of parliament on Monday paving the way for a general election that must be held within 60 days under the constitution.
It is widely expected that polling will be conducted before mid-November to avoid the monsoon season that usually brings flood across the country.
Mahathir said he believes the election was called because the ruling party, the United Malays National Organization, wanted to take advantage of the “weak and disorganized” opposition.
Political analysts predict that the rainy season will mean a low voter turnout and that will favor UMNO.
Mahathir held the record as the world’s oldest head of government when he returned to the top job for a second run at age 94 after leading an opposition alliance to an unexpected win in the May 2018 election.
He was the longest serving prime minister in his first turn from 1981 to 2003. He returned to active politics in 2018 in his quest to defeat his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence over the scandal involving the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in which authorities estimated some $4.5 billion had been misappropriated and millions of dollars later found its way into Najib’s personal bank accounts.
Mahathir’s second stint was short-lived. His government lasted barely two years before political desertion led to his coalition’s breaking up and he resigned in February 2020.
Mahathir now heads an ethnic Malay-centric party called Pejuang, which has formed a coalition with other pro-Malay parties and nongovernmental organizations called Gerakan Tanah Air.
The coalition had planned to run in the election under the GTA banner, but it has yet to receive government approval. Mahathir said GTA members will use the Pejuang flag and logo in the election.